Guangzhou’s masses of morning commuters were today greeted with the confronting message: “What you just put into your mouth could have been a loyal guardian who defended a family home”. The posters are part of a campaign by NGO Animals Asia to put a stop to the practise of eating dog and cat meat in China.

The posters were put online on Animals Asia’s weibo account and have been shared more that 20,000 times.

The ongoing campaign aims to “inform the public of the health risks of eating dog and cat meat and to prompt people to re-evaluate why they’d eat animals they might otherwise consider friends not food”, according to Animals Asia.

The roll-out in Guangzhou brings to 14 the number of cities in which the posters can now be seen. A total of 300 different designs are on display in metros, bus stops and in elevators in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Shenzhen.

“We know that, equipped with the facts, most people will choose not to eat dog and cat meat. There are health implications, not to mention the fact that the dogs and cats being served as food are likely to have been stolen from a loving family home”, said Animals Asia founder Jill Robinson.

Several weibo users voiced their support for the campaign. “Cats and dogs are our best friends. Whether you’re poor or rich, sick or healthy, they’ll always be by your side. Please treasure these small animals”, wrote Lamia from Guangzhou.

Others were less sympathetic, “Why not eat dog meat? Because dogs are cute? How do you think about pigs, sheep, little chickens and ducklings? Should they be eaten?”, wrote a weibo user from Xiamen.